honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, April 8, 2010

Tennis great has breast cancer


Advertiser News Services

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Martina Navratilova

spacer spacer

Tennis great Martina Navratilova has been diagnosed with a noninvasive form of breast cancer and her prognosis is considered excellent.

Navratilova said in a phone interview yesterday that a routine mammogram in January found a lump, and a biopsy the following month determined it was ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS. The nine-time Wimbledon women's singles champion had a lumpectomy in March and will start six weeks of radiation therapy next month.

"It was such a shock for me," Navratilova said. "It was my 9/11."

According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 50,000 women each year are diagnosed with DCIS, in which abnormal cells haven't left the milk duct to penetrate breast tissue. It's removed because it is a risk factor for developing invasive cancer.

Navratilova won a record 167 singles titles and 59 Grand Slam titles overall, including 18 in singles, 31 in doubles and 10 in mixed doubles.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Wake Forest fires coach: Wake Forest fired men's basketball coach Dino Gaudio after three seasons yesterday during a hastily drawn news conference.

Athletic director Ron Wellman said "the basis for the decision was our late-season and postseason performances." Gaudio was 61-31 at Wake Forest since he was hired in 2007, but only 1-5 in Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA tournaments.

Kentucky loses five to NBA: Freshman All-Americans John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins are among five Kentucky players who have declared for the June 24 NBA draft. Junior forward Patrick Patterson, freshman guard Eric Bledsoe and freshman center Daniel Orton are also entering the draft.

OSU's Turner a top-3 pick: Ohio State's Evan Turner, who averaged 20.4 points and 9.2 rebounds as a junior, is skipping his senior season to make himself available for the NBA draft. The 6-foot-7 point guard is expected to be a top-3 pick in the draft.

Kansas' Henry leaving: Kansas freshman guard Xavier Henry, who averaged nearly 14 points a game, said yesterday he's headed for the NBA draft because his coaches have helped him get ready.

Xavier's Crawford exploring: Xavier's sophomore guard Jordan Crawford, who led the Atlantic 10 in scoring at 20.5 points per game, will explore the NBA draft while leaving open his option of returning for another season with the Musketeers.

NFL

Saints plug up defense: The New Orleans Saints and free-agent defensive end Alex Brown agreed yesterday on a two-year contract, helping the defending champions fill a hole in the lineup that opened when Charles Grant was released in March.

Brown played all of his eight NFL seasons for the Chicago Bears. Financial terms of his deal with the Saints were not disclosed.

TRACK AND FIELD

Test results are female: Caster Semenya's lawyers have told South African television that her gender test results show she can compete as a woman.

Semenya's lawyers told the eNews channel yesterday that her medical team have looked at test results following the 2009 world championships and conducted their own tests and have concluded that "Caster is entitled to participate in female athletics competitions."

Lawyers said the 800-meter world champion got the "go-ahead" in mid-February and the IAAF has delayed Semenya's comeback while they evaluate the results.